Circuit-controlling device.



H. P. CLAUSEN. clncunconmoum ofvnce.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. |915.

/nve/a//s Henry P. (Vaux/7. by` I Affi UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY P. CLAUSEN, OF MOUNT VERNON, `NEW YORK,` IAJSSIG'rNOIEt, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMEANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION O1? NEW YORK.

CIRCUIT-.coNTRoLLING nnvrcn.

Patented Oct. 1'6, 1917.

Application led October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,790.

To all whom-it may concern:

vBe it lmnwnthat I, HENRY CLAUSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCircuit-ControllingDevices, of which the following is 4a 'full, clear, concise, and exact description. l

This invention relates to circuit controllingfdeviccs; and `*more particularly to a. thermalicrcut" controllingdevice and its application' to acircuit" This invention has for its ob'ect the production of'an improved lform o thermal relayand the. application thereof to al1-electrical circuitg with" means for producing an opening or closingv of a -circuit, whereby heat produced i'none 'thermal circuitcauses a 'contact1 to close, and v"heat produced .infa' second thermal circuitcauses'the 4contact to open. Y" Y In accordance vviththe features of this invention, there is provided a thermal device comprising two heat expansible members each-having a currentcarrying thermal coil and -governing thef'operatlon' of a contact controlling means" The heat expansible members and their-circuits are so combined that the operation in `either directionof the contactl controlling meansmay be influenced by the action of'heat generated in the thermal coils. 1

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating one embodiment of thls invention; and Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating` an applicationoff this invention to a telegraph system for thepurpose of rendering a normally disabledreceivmg means, controllable over a telegraph line circuit, to be operatively included with the line circuit. In each of the figures similar characters of reference are employed to indicate simllar parts.

Considering first the' characterlstlc form of this thermal relay. One end of an expansible member 11 1s fixed to a supporting base 10, and at its other end carries a transverse'membcr 12. One end of asecond expansible member 13is fixed to the member 12 to form a parallelism Withrthe rst expansible member 11. The free end ofthe member 13 is adapted to engage a contact spring 1-1 and by pressure, or the absence of pressure thereon, act to control the operation of the contacts 15 and 18. Thermal coils 16 and 17-are provided for the expansible members l1 and 13, respectively. The contacts 15 are employed in the control of the thermal coil circuits, and contacts 18 may -be employed to control other circuits.

`When the thermal relay is inthe normal position, which corresponds with the position shown in the drawing,-no current action'is present in its circuits; therefore, a uniform temperature is present in each of the expansible members 11 and 13. Under this condition the expansible member 13 does not cxert pressure on the contact spring 14, and the contacts 15 and 18 accordingly remain open.

In describing the operations which take place when current actionis present in the thermal circuits, let it be assumed that a key 23 is depressed. Current from battery 19 Will nowf traverse a series circuit formed throughlhe thermal windings 16 and 17 in which the thermal coil 17 is proportioned to generate heat more rapidly than the thermal coil 16. This results in the member 13 being expanded to exceed the expansion of the member 11, and the spring lflis, therefore, depressed by the member 13 to -close the contacts 15 and 18. Closure of the contacts 15 establishes 'the conductor 25 in shunt on the thermal coil 17 thereby Acausing cessation of current in this coil. This change of circuit relation renders the terminals of the 4thernml coil 16 subject to the full potential of the battery 19. The resulting increase of current flow through the coil 16 causes the (-xpansible member 11 to expand and move 4the member 13 to relieve the pressure on the spring 14, thereby permitting the contacts 15 and 18 to open. It will be noted that at the instant closure of the contacts 15 takes place, the expansible member 13 is released to contractV and this movement is accordingly accumulative with the expanding movement of the member 11 in relieving the pressure exerted by themember 13 on the contact spring 14.

By retaining the key 18 closed it will be noted that continuous automatic reciprocating movement of the working parts of this relay will take place.

In Fig` 2- is indicated diagrammatically a telegraph system in which a modified embodiment of a thermal relay, such as referred to herein, is employed in a manner suitable for ractising the features of this invention. he Vnumerals 1 2 and 3 indicate three separate telegraph stations connected in series with a main line conductor 4, line batteries 5 and 6 and theearth connections. At stations 1 and 3 all of thetelegraph; equipment is of well-known type, While atstation 2,`in addition to the usual telegraph devices, a thermal relay 9 anda key 24 is employed in accordance with this invention. a

Consideringfirst the conditions which are present when the circuits are in the normal position as shown in the drawing. Contacts 8 of a main line relay 7 retain a circuit from a battery 19 through the thermal coil 16 carried by the expansible member 11. The member 11 is thereby expanded longitudinally to move the member 13 from engagement with the spring 14, in which 'position the contacts 15 remain open and accordingly disable a telegraph sounder 26. Although the line'relay 7 responds when messages are transmitted between stations 1 and 3, thereby causing-momentary interruptions of current in the thermal coil 16, these interruptions are comparatively short and therefore do not permit the expansible member 11 to contract suiiiciently to close the contacts 15. Premature inclusion of the sounder 26 'with the line circuit is, therefore, prevented by the inertia of the thermal relay.

In describing the operations necessary in selecting and communicatin with station 2, let it be assumed that statlon 1 desires to establish such a connection. At station 1 a key-closin switch 28 is moved to the open position, t ereby interrupting a shunt ath around an associated telegraph key 2l to cause a cessation of current on the main line conductor 4. Upon the circuit being retained in this position for a predetermined period, the following operations take place automatically at station 2. Line relay 7 is denergized to open its contacts 8, thereby excluding the thermal coil 16 of the thermal relay 9 from the battery 19. The expansible member 11 nov:r contracts and causes the member 13 to depress the s ring 14 to close the contacts 15. Closure o the contacts 15 prepares a series circuit formed through the sounder 26 and a second thermal winding 17 of the thermal relay 9. Now, upon the operation of key 27'at station 1 as 1n transmltting a message, the line relay 7 responds, and, lirough its contacts 8, includes the sounder 26 and the thermal coil 17 in series with the battery 19. It will be noted that each closure of the line relay contacts 8 permits current from the battery 19 to traverse the windings 16 and 17 of the thermal relay. The amount of heat generated by the winding 17, however, is in excess of the heat generated in the winding 1G. Therefore, the

expansion of member 13 is in excess of the expansion of member 11. Accordingly the closed position of the contacts 15 are not disturbed, and the sounder 26 continues responsive to the line relay 7.

At' the'conclusion of a communication, the sounder 26 may again be disabled by depressing the key 24 to open the circuit of the thermal Winding 17 for a period sufficient to permit the expansion of the member 11, in response to current present in the thermal coil 16., to open the contacts 15.

The sounder 26 may also be rendered effective from station 2 by opening the keyclosing switch 2S as described for stationV 1.

What is claimed is:

1. A circuitl controlling device comprising two expansible members mechanically connected, a heat generating element for each expansible member, one element having greater heat generating ,capacity than the other, and contact members controlled by the joint action of said expansible members. v

2. Afcircuit controlling device comprising a base, an expansible member supported thereby, a second .expansible member connected' to the first expansible member, a heat generatingr element for each expansible. member, uone element having greater heat generating capacity than the other, whereby the expansion of one member is greater than that 'of the other member, and a switching member operated in one direction by the simultaneous expansion of both of said expansible members and in another direction by the individual expansion of one of said expansible members.

3. A circuit controlling device comprising a base, an expansible ,member mounted on said base, a second expansible member supported by said irst expansible member in parallel relation thereto, circuit controlling contacts, a heat generating element for the rst of said members to cause the expansion thereof and thereby to open said circuit controlling contacts, and a second heat generating element of lesser capacity for the second of said members to cause the expansion thereof and thereby to close said circuit controlling contacts.

4. A circuit controlling device comprising a base, an, eXpansible member mounted on said base, a second expansible member supported by said first member, circuit controlling contacts, a heat generating element for the first of said members to cause the expansion thereof and thereby to open said contacts,and a second heat generating element for the second of said members to cause the expansion thereof and by coperative operation thereof with the first of said members to close said contacts.

5. A circuit controlling device comprising a base, an expansible member mounted on said base, a second expansible member supported by said first member, a heat geueratng element for each member for causing the expansion thereof1 and circuit coutrolling contacts arranged te be closed by the eoperative expansion of beth members and to be opened upon the individual eX- pansion of lthe first member.

6. A circuit controlling device comprisinger a base, an expansible member mounted on said base, a second expansible member supported by said first member1 a plurality of Contact springs, a heat generating element for the first of said members to cause the expansion thereof, a second heat generating element of lesser capacity for the second of said members to cause the eXpan- .sien thereof and by operating eoperatively und reriprocnlly with said first element to control the actuation of said conta-ct springs.

T. A. circuit controlling device comprising a base, an expansible member mounted on said base, a second expansible member supported by said first member, circuit controlling Contact springs, and coperatively operating heat generating elements having different capacities for said expansible members te produce unequal expansion of said members thereby actuating said circuit controllingr Contact springs.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th da)r of October A. D.,

HENRY P. CLAUSEN.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

